Oilers lose on reviewed OT goal, down 3-1 in series

ANAHEIM, Calif.  — Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Edmonton Oilers have lost a playoff game in Anaheim where they blew a multi-goal lead and were on the wrong end of a controversial goal review.

Nine years ago, it was The Comeback on Katella when the Oilers lost a 3-0 lead with three minutes left, with the tying goal requiring a controversial goaltender interference review that went the Ducks’ way. The Ducks won that game in double overtime to take a 3-2 series lead in the second round of the 2017 playoffs. 

On Sunday night, the Oilers saw a 2-0 and 3-2 lead disappear in regulation, and their hearts broke in overtime when the officials announced that Ryan Poehling’s shot did indeed completely cross the goal line after a lengthy review. That call gave the Ducks the 4-3 win to take a commanding 3-1 series lead as the series shifts back to Edmonton. 

“We’re in a hole,” Connor McDavid said. “We’re in a hole, no doubt about it.”

Poehling sent a shot towards the Edmonton crease, and the puck bounced off the skate of Darnell Nurse and trickled through the legs of Tristan Jarry. Everyone on the ice reacted as if Jarry had covered the puck, except for Poehling, who skated behind the net to see the puck over the line and then began pointing at the net to signal a good goal.

The confusion further intensified when the officials huddled up and talked it over, as no call was made to that point. After a lengthy discussion, the ruling on the ice was a good goal, which sparked a review. 

The review was extensive because the camera angle inside the net had the top half of the puck blocked by Jarry’s skate, making it difficult to decipher if the puck was indeed across the goal line. 

After a lengthy review, the situation room ruled that the puck did completely cross the goal line, ending the game.

Amongst the Oilers, there were mixed opinions on the ruling.

Some were upset.

“I don’t know how they see it as a conclusive goal,” Mattias Ekholm said. “I just don’t, to be honest. Maybe there is somebody that can prove me otherwise. It doesn’t really matter, to be honest. They call it a goal, and we will have to buy with that.”

Some were unsure. 

“We were just looking at it in there, and you really can’t tell,” Jarry said. “I’m sure you could go either way with it.”

And some had an idea of their fate. 

“I thought we were going to get away with it,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said. “I’ve seen in the past where I’ve thought goals have gone in and they haven’t been able to prove them, so I thought that’s what the call was going to be, but obviously they thought otherwise.”

As the dust begins to settle after this one, the Oilers will have to re-group after another tough loss as they head home on the brink of a first-round exit after making their way to back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances. 

A bright side that Edmonton can look at from Sunday night is that it did a much better job at limiting Anaheim’s firewagon tempo by clogging the neutral zone. Doing so made it tough for the Ducks to generate scoring chances off the rush, which is a key to Anaheim’s success in this series and the whole season. 

“I thought we played better defensively tonight,” Ekholm said. “Obviously, we have to stay out of the box and be better on the kill, but 5-on-5, I thought we took a step in the right direction.”

The Oilers kept the Ducks’ top line of Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier and Troy Terry pointless while playing five-on-five. 

“We’ve got to drive a little more play, spend a little more time in the offensive zone so we can draw some more power plays and also just get some more offensive time, which, obviously, you spend less time in the defensive zone,” Knoblauch said.

“We spent a lot of time in the last few weeks talking about defensive details. I think we’ve done a pretty good job of that. I think in games two and three, I think we got away from that, but it’s very important this time in the playoffs.”

Another development for the Oilers in this game was in their own net. 

After surrendering 16 goals in three games, Edmonton swapped Connor Ingram for Jarry. Given how the Oilers played defensively, it’s tough to put those goals on Ingram, but he wasn’t sharp either.

Heading into Sunday’s contest, Ingram’s -3.32 goals saved above expected was the worst by any goalie in this year’s playoffs, according to Evolving Hockey. He was also sporting an .849 save percentage.

Jarry wasn’t a brick wall, but he was at least better than what Ingram had provided so far. 

He stopped 34 of 38 shots faced and gave the Oilers a chance to win. 

“He made some big saves,” Knoblauch said. “That’s what we wanted from him, a solid performance, and he played well.”

It was Jarry’s first appearance in three weeks. He was tested out of the gate, but looked really solid in the opening period when he stopped all nine shots faced.

“I think it was just making sure I was ready from the start,” Jarry said. “Obviously, every series is long, and you always need both goalies, so it was just making sure I was staying sharp in practice, doing everything I needed just in case I did get the call.”

Despite looking solid at times, the Ducks were still able to put up four goals, with two coming from the power play. Jarry accrued -0.56 goals saved above expected in this one, according to Evolving Hockey.

“Obviously, it’s two different goalies, two different tendencies,” Gauthier said. “We got great pre-scouts from our goalie coaches on kind of their tendencies and where to shoot more often than not, and they did a great job tonight.”

For the Ducks, it doesn’t matter who is in net. The overall game plan remains the same. 

“As a new goalie, you don’t know what to expect,” Poehling said. “But I think for any goalie, I think it’s just the same thing. Take away their eyes, make it hard for them, you know, whether it’s getting tips, screens, loose pucks. I think all that stuff is hard for any goalie, you know. So, I thought we did a good job of that tonight because I thought he played well for them to have a chance to win.”

As the series shifts back to Edmonton for Game 5 on Tuesday night, the Oilers find themselves staring at an uphill battle to climb out of this series. 

One thing they have going for them is history. The Oilers have made it a routine to come from behind in a playoff series to advance. 

They have trailed and won a playoff series in each of the last four playoffs, and aim to make it a fifth. 

Two years ago, the Oilers scratched and clawed their way to forcing a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Finals after going down 3-0. 

“There’s a lot of belief within that room,” Knoblauch said. “They’ve been in some pretty poor situations and this team never quits. They’re resilient, they absolutely love to fight and I think that’s when we’ve seen the best of them. 

“We don’t have any more room for error right now.”